International Society for Bipolar Disorders is pleased to invite you to the ISBD Annual Conference 20/20: Vision for Bipolar Disorder and Depression. The 22nd Annual Conference (originally scheduled to take place in Chicago) will be held virtually from June 18-21, 2020 due to the current situation with COVID-19.

COVID-19 UPDATE AS OF APRIL 2, 2020:
In-Person Meeting Cancelled- We are going virtual!

In response to the rapidly changing circumstances associated with the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), the ISBD has made the decision to transition its annual in-person conference to a virtual experience.

In coming to this decision, the ISBD leadership carefully weighed the risks to attendees and their families, colleagues, and patients. As a Society devoted to the well-being of those with bipolar disorder, the organization feels strongly that ISBD must continue to fulfill its mission in the face of COVID-19.

Our annual conference provides an essential forum for the exchange of the latest information and ideas in the field and we need to ensure that we maintain this important function of our Society. A virtual conference will provide an exciting means of sharing knowledge and communicating and collaborating with colleagues from around the world. We need to be flexible while acknowledging this global health issue.

Please know this has been an incredibly difficult decision for us as we all look forward to our annual conference to see friends, both long-tenured and new.

Our annual conference is also important because ISBD is a not-for-profit organization that depends heavily on this meeting to sustain its financial well-being. Like other professional organizations that hold conferences, ISBD has made up-front investments to plan and execute the conference. The circumstances associated with COVID- 19 are changing daily and because the conference is now just 10 weeks away, cancelling the in-person conference has consequences not just for attendees, presenters, and exhibitors but for the Society as well.

Host Organization

The International Society for Bipolar Disorders was created in response to the need for further awareness, education, and research on this severe mental illness. The Society is growing in membership with an elected board representing 15 countries and over 700 members representing nearly 60 countries.

ISBD is a major source for emerging research and clinical data on bipolar disorders and is the only bipolar-focused, research-oriented Society working to bring this data to patients, families, and mental health professionals working on the front lines of bipolar care.

The Society currently offers several educational programs, including the Samuel Gershon Awards for Junior Investigators for best original research manuscripts, online training opportunities for young clinicians, and a mentorship program. In addition to its work to support bipolar education among trainees, fellows and young investigators, the ISBD is also moving the field forward through the development of task forces in the areas of child and adolescent bipolar disorder, transcultural needs, staging, women’s health and bipolar disorder in older adults.

Reasons to Attend ISBD 2020

info exchange

World class platform for clinicians and scientists to present, discuss, and trade expertise in the most rapidly evolving area of psychiatry, mood disorders. Scientific sessions will be prerecorded for the virtual event and made available for an extended period of time after the conference dates. This will not only allow attendees across all time zones to enjoy the meetings when its convenience for them but will also allow attendees the opportunity to view all sessions instead of choosing between concurrent sessions.

Continuing Education

The maximum amount of CME hours available to physicians will be much higher as attendees can claim credit for all sessions viewed over the extended period of time the content is available to them.

live events

ISBD 2020 is the leading international mood disorders conference focusing on bipolar disorders, major depressive disorders and other common co-morbid psychiatric conditions. The virtual event will include a number of live components over the course of the program dates to allow attendees the opportunity to ‘meet’ with the presenters as well as each other to ensure the meeting is dynamic and interactive.

ABSTRACTS

Join other international scientists and clinicians to be a part of this unique opportunity to share cutting edge findings and network with distinguished experts in the field. ISBD will publish the conference abstracts in the online journal Bipolar Disorders as a supplement to the virtual event.